America's cutest gas station needs some tender loving care

The Teapot Dome gas station just off Interstate 82 near Yakima, Wash., was looking pale and sickly when I passed by a few weeks ago. Paint is peeling, metal is rusting. The gas station in the shape of a teapot needs some tender loving care. The last we heard, the town of Zillah, where it is located, was working with Friends of the Teapot to raise money to move the historic structure into town where it can be protected.

So far, there is no visible damage from vandalism. Even though the outside is peeling, fading and rusting, the inside appears to be in excellent shape.

The tiny gas station is listed in the National Historic Register of Historic Places. The state of Washington recently declared it one of its "most endangered historic properties." It was built in 1922 as a political statement about the Teapot Dome Scandal, which rocked the nation during the Warren G. Harding presidency.

If you would like to make a donation to the Friends of the Teapot, call 509-829-5151 or 509-829-5200. A fund has been set up at a local bank.